China
knocked the newly announced U.S.
trade deal with Vietnam, saying Beijing “firmly opposes” any
deal that disadvantages its economy and pledged to take “countermeasures” to
protect its own interests.
The trade deal with
Vietnam, which President Trump announced on Wednesday, sets the tariff rate on the country
at 20 percent, with Vietnam giving the U.S. tariff-free access to its markets.
It
also seeks to prevent third countries like China from laundering their exports
through Vietnam, imposing a 40 percent tariff on goods that originate from a
country with a higher import tax rate and shipped through Vietnam.
“China firmly opposes any deal made at the expense of China’s
interests in exchange for so-called tariff exemptions,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said, when
asked about U.S. tariff negotiations “with certain countries.”
“Should such a situation arise, China will never accept it and
will take resolute countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and
interests,” the spokesperson continued.The spokesperson said China “welcomes
efforts” by other countries to “resolve” trade issues with the U.S. “through
consultations on the basis of equality.”
“At the same time,” the spokesperson continued, “we urge all
parties to stand on the side of fairness and justice and on the right side of
history in resolutely upholding international trade rules and the multilateral
trading system.”
The
president announced the deal with Vietnam on Truth Social,
days before the pause on his sweeping
county-specific tariffs is set to expire.
The only other country to reach a comprehensive trade deal since Trump’s
“Liberation Day” tariffs were announced in April is the United Kingdom.
The Chinese official reiterated
Beijing’s general disdain for Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, which the official
called “a typical act of unilateral bullying that seriously undermines the
multilateral trading system and disrupts the normal order of international
trade.”
“China
has consistently and firmly opposed such actions. It has been proved that only
by firmly defending its principles and position can a country truly safeguard
its lawful rights and interests,” the official said.
The Trump administration reached an agreement with
China last week focused on rare earth exports to the U.S., building on previous
talks between the two nations that eased tariffs on imports from Beijing.
This week, the Trump administration rescinded some
restrictions on the export of chip-design software to China,
just weeks after putting the limitations in place.
